::Penance::

The cobalt tongues beckon.
Enrobed in white linen,
She marries the blaze.

As the flames leap up at her,
Reversing the gravity of her hair and gown,
She welcomes the union
With outstretched arms.

Orange-white cinders dance skyward
in a cacophony of crackles and pops.
A melancholic wail fades
to a whisper,
As does she to


nothingness


Before she rises anew.